Getting Rid of Missy
by ClashingColoursChasingRainbows
Summary: What if Freddie hadn't won the School at Sea competition in iReunite with Missy? What would the repercussions have been, and would he and Sam have been able to get rid of Missy with a plan of their own? For the iCarly 'What If' Story Challenge.
1. Chapter 1: Forming an Alliance

****Summary** - **What if Freddie hadn't won the School at Sea competition in iReunite with Missy? What would the repercussions have been, and would he and Sam have been able to get rid of Missy with a plan of their own? For the iCarly 'What If' Story Challenge.

**Disclaimer** - You think I own iCarly? *maniacal laughter* But yeah, I don't... that honour belongs with one Dan Schneider, who is awesome and amazing and such.

**A/N** - Hello my lovelies! I bet you weren't expecting a new story from me any time soon, huh? Well thanks to the wonderful **TheWrterInMe** a whole bunch of iCarly writers are taking part in a story challenge, entitled 'What If?' To see who else is taking part, go the TheWrterInMe 's profile and take a look at her current poll, there's loads of amazing writers taking part, so happy reading! I'll admit, I did kind of shirk all of my slightly more important responsibilities to finish this in time, so I'm sorry if parts seem slightly rushed, but I hope you guys still like it! That's all from me, ENJOY!

* * *

><p>"You know, maybe Carly is right. Maybe you're just jealous of Missy," Freddie stated angrily as Sam paced in front of him, her steps pounding into the ground more heavily by the second. The pair had been arguing about Missy's true motives towards Sam for the past twenty minutes, and while Freddie had tried to remain neutral on the matter, mainly for fear of angering Sam further, he couldn't stop himself from saying what he truly thought, only to realise three seconds too late that his words had a far harsher impact on the girl before him than he had intended.<p>

With this callous comment, Sam paused and looked up at Freddie, a defeated look on her face as she tried and failed to come up with a more convincing argument. Despite all the proof she had, the wrong address that sent her to a piñata factory filled with empty dreams, her phone being Wahoo punched by Missy's slimy little fingers and the rancid Persian chocolates, Freddie still believed a girl who he'd only known for a few days rather than one who was supposedly his friend. One of his best friends.

"OK just… forget it," Sam began, shrugging her shoulders before turning away, "Don't believe me."

Freddie looked down at the ground as she walked away, before quickly raising his head and shouting, "Tell my one reason why I should believe you," his voice heavy and exasperated.

Sam walked back around the corner and faced Freddie, before speaking in a surprisingly soft tone. "'Cause I came here," she stated, causing Freddie to shrug his shoulders; unsure of what she was trying to say. "Have I come to you for help before? For anything?" she asked, before raising her eyebrows slightly at the thoroughly confused looking boy before her and spinning around to walk back down the hallway.

Freddie sighed, leaning against his front door for a brief moment to try and collect his thoughts before turning around and attempting to enter his apartment, only to realise that he had forgotten to pick up his keys when he answered Sam's attempt to hulk smash his door down and was now locked out of his own home. Kicking the door in frustration, an act he regretted almost immediately after feeling a sudden surge of pain travel up the base of his foot and spread across the rest of his leg, Freddie spun back around and sunk to the ground, his back pressed against the door for support and his knees pulled close to his chest.

Thinking back to the brief yet strangely thought provoking argument he and Sam had just had, Freddie rubbed the nape of his neck anxiously before pulling back his hand and resting it on the floor. Was Sam right about Missy trying to 'get rid' of her, or was she just being paranoid about losing her best friend? Missy texting her the wrong details was a mistake that anyone could have made, but giving Sam chocolate that had expired almost ten years ago seemed too suspicious to brush over. Sure, Missy seemed nice enough, but if he'd learned anything from Sam's 'How to Lie to Someone in 5 Easy Steps' class, a lesson he had acquired second hand from Spencer, it was that some people took to deception like a duck to water, and Missy could very well be one of them.

Having been subject to the many pranks Sam had pulled on him over the years had made Freddie an expert on what he liked to call 'The Lying Game'; being able to tell when Sam was telling him the truth or merely pulling his leg, and seeing the defeated look on her face before she had left only convinced him further that Sam truly believed what she was saying about Missy's less than innocent motives.

Knowing he had made his decision, though he was still unsure if it was the right one or not, Freddie got up from his position on the ground and stretched, before walking over to Carly's apartment in hopes that he could hang out there until his mother returned home from her annual visit to the Rare Diseases and Ways to Cure Them Fair in Chicago. It was decided; he was going to help Sam reveal who Missy truly was to Carly, before Sam's jealousy of the new girl in Carly's life got her into the sort of trouble that couldn't be fixed with a week's detention. Despite Sam's impressive track record for lying to him in the past, he knew that her famous Puckett pride would never have allowed her to ask for his help unless she was serious, and what were friend's for if not helping each other when in need?

_Can we please remember we're all friends here,_ Freddie heard Carly's voice in his head, as he contemplated his decision for the final time and smiled slightly to himself. He remembered denying this teasing comment at the time, stating that he could never be friends with a girl who cut off the sleeves from his shirt and the legs from his pants for fun, but now he had finally accepted what he had known to be true for quite some time. He did care about the crazy blonde headed demon that made his life both a living hell and a hell of a lot more exciting than he could have even imagined, and now it was his time to show everyone just how far he would go to prove it to her and make her happy.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Sam, wait up," Freddie called out as he exited his Chemistry classroom and spotted a familiar looking mass of blonde curls walking down the hallway. Ignoring his call, Sam continued to stroll in the direction of her locker, but slowed her pace so that Freddie could catch up to her without too much trouble.<p>

"Benson," she greeted him, her tone so cold that the sound slid over Freddie uncomfortably; he'd often admired Sam's ability to make a person quake in their boots with three syllables or less, except of course when he was on the receiving end of her well practised cold shoulder treatment.

"Sam," he replied, in a slightly warmer tone than hers, before leaning against the locker next to hers as they reached their destination.

Freddie had prepared a whole speech to say to Sam, with a small apology and an obligatory packet of bacon included, but after staring at her tense form and emotionless face, he just couldn't help but blurt out what he had wanted to tell her since he had come to his sense the night before. "I believe you."

Sam froze, her hand hovering over her combination lock for a few seconds before she regained her composure and being dialling the code so she could access her books. Did he really just say what she thought he said?

"You believe what, Benson?" she asked airily, as she rummaged through her locker, pulling out a fat cake triumphantly and opening the wrapper as she looked pointedly in Freddie's direction.

Freddie sighed and looked down at the floor, before gazing back up at Sam in an apologetic manner, "I believe what you said last night, about Missy's attempts to try and replace you as Carly's best friend, and I want to help."

Sam gnawed on her fat cake thoughtfully, hiding the surprised and elated feeling she was experiencing behind a veil of mild disinterest, before gulping down her last mouthful of sugary goodness and asking, "Help with what?"

"I want to help get rid of her," Freddie replied, causing Sam's eyes lit up once again as the smile she had been trying to fight broke free and covered her glowing face, "For good."

"So you finally believe me, huh?" Sam asked, as she slammed her locker shut and leant against it before directing her well practised smirk in Freddie's direction. "Well, it took you long enough, Benson."

"I just had to take in all the facts, Sam," Freddie began to defend himself, only to stop abruptly as he spotted Sam raise her eyes disbelievingly, "but you were right. Something is off about what's been happening to you over the past week, and Missy's presence here can't just be a coincidence."

"That's what I've been trying to tell everyone," Sam protested, though her tone had a joking edge, "but you've all been too blind to see it."

"Well you can understand why people are wary about believing you, Sam," Freddie replied, smiling slightly as he looked up at her daringly.

"Why? Mama doesn't lie," Sam declared confidently, only to sigh and reiterate her comment after spotting Freddie's amused and rather pointed look in her direction, his arms crossed and eyebrows raised, "OK, Mama does lie, but not about the important things."

Freddie chuckled at Sam's altered statement, causing her to roll her eyes at him but smile back as they both leant against their respective lockers. Suddenly, a large group of girls who were squealing loudly walked past, leading Sam to spin around and Freddie to push away from his position to get a better look at what was going on.

* * *

><p>"Hi Freddie, Sam," a girl with long mousy brown hair called out at the pair, "Did you guys hear the amazing news?"<p>

"Hey Shelly," Freddie replied warmly, as Sam acknowledged the group's presence with a small head nod, "No, what news?"

"Wendy won the Sea at School competition; she gets to go on a six month cruise!" Shelly shrieked, as Wendy got pushed forward to the edge of the group so that Sam and Freddie could congratulate her properly.

"That's great news Wendy," Freddie said with a sad smile on his face, "I hope you have an amazing time."

"Yeah, awesome," Sam replied uninterestedly, "try and send me some foreign meat when you get the chance. That stuff is out of this world."

"Thanks you guys," Wendy smiled back at them with a look of sheer joy on her face, "I just can't believe I actually won! And of course, I'll try and send you some meat, Sam!"

Before the conversation could advance any further, Shelly poked Wendy in the side and reminded her they had yet to visit the cafeteria with the good news, causing the group to turn and wave at Sam and Freddie before running off down the hall, cheering and laughing in Wendy's honour.

Sam shook her head and grinned at the sight of the screaming girls running into the distance, as she wasn't really one for the traditional high pitched shrieking in times of celebration, but her smile quickly fell as she turned and spotted the mournful look on Freddie's face. Sam knew that Freddie had entered the competition himself, but the forlorn expression on his face made her realise just how much he wanted to win. Normally she would just tease or insult him to try and distract him from the sadness, but after what he had offered to help her with today Sam felt she couldn't just leave Freddie alone be miserable for the foreseeable future.

"I'm sorry about the School at Sea competition, Freddie," Sam mumbled to him quietly, unsure of how to comfort him without him questioning why she suddenly cared so much about his well being, "I knew you wanted to win that thing.

Freddie looked up at her, a surprised expression on his face, before he half smiled and shrugged one shoulder, "It's cool, I probably would have missed home too much anyway." He paused, before grinning at Sam properly, a mischievous spark in his eyes, "And besides, I couldn't just abandon iCarly like that, you guys are so computer illiterate you wouldn't be able to do a single show without me. You need me.

Sam snorted, and shoved Freddie playfully in the side, "Please, a well trained monkey could do your job."

"Hey!" Freddie protested, rubbing his arm in the spot where Sam had hit him with a smile on his face.

"No, you're right," Sam admitted, sighing slightly, "Any old monkey would probably do the trick."

"Thanks Sam," Freddie replied sarcastically, as Sam grinned back at him, "but I know the truth. You might not be able to admit it but you'd miss me too."

Sam pretended to ponder her answer by stroking her chin thoughtfully, before saying, "Miss insulting you, perhaps, but I could probably live without seeing your shining little face each morning."

"Cruise ships do have phones you know," Freddie smirked as he dug his hands into his pockets and rocked backwards on his feet.

"What a relief," Sam mocked, causing Freddie to grin and look down at his feet, before looking back up at her cautiously, "I'll tell you what, next time you win a free six month cruise, you give me their number so I can ring you up and tell you all the insults I would have subjected you to had you not left home."

"It's a deal, Puckett," Freddie murmured, catching Sam's eyes properly for the first time that day as they smiled at each other.

* * *

><p>After a few seconds, Sam shook her head and looked away, pulling her backpack up over her shoulder "We're getting distracted, we need to come up with a plan, remember?"<p>

"Yeah, you're right," Freddie agreed, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt before becoming serious once again, "Well, Carly hasn't believed your claims about Missy before, mainly because her ability to always see the best in people can make her pretty bad at noticing their worse traits, so I think the only way to convince her is for her to hear it straight from the horse's mouth."

"No, Missy is too clever to let Carly overhear what she says." Sam replied, before pausing and furrowing her eyebrows slightly, deep in thought. After a while, her eyes lit up cunningly, and she continued, "But there might be another way. You have a tape recorder at home, right? Or we can get an app on our Pear phones that can record sound?"

"Yeah, probably, but why?" Freddie asked, confused, before realisation dawned over him and he exclaimed, "Oh, you want to-"

"-record everything Missy says to me when we're alone, and play it back to Carly, exactly!" Sam completed his sentence, as the pair smiled at each other, excited about their newly formed idea to get rid of Missy once and for all.

"Once Carly hears what a little nut job Missy really is, she'll finally understand what we've been trying to tell her," Sam mused as her idea started sounding better by the minute.

"Sounds like a fool proof plan to me," Freddie praised her, before the bell rang throughout the hallway, signalling the start of the next period.

"All right," Sam began as the pair started walking to their next class, "if you try and find out a way to record Missy tonight, I'll do a bit of research and see when she'll be alone, because that will the best time to execute the plan."

"And then all systems are go?" Freddie asked, halting as they reached the base of the staircase, the point at which they had to separate ways.

Sam smiled and nodded, an excited and devious look in her eyes, "You'd better fire up the Batmobile, Robin, its gonna be a bumpy ride."

* * *

><p><strong>AN **- Well, did you like it? What does this new alliance mean? As I'm uploading this in one go, I won't be begging for reviews at the end of each chapter (or bribing you guys with ponies and my first born child like usual!) but I'd really appreciate any comments you might have if you've got some time. Thanks for reading, onwards and upwards friends, chapter 2 is right there, so go ahead and click the button!

~ Mim


	2. Chapter 2: Fraternising with the Enemy

**Summary** - What if Freddie hadn't won the School at Sea competition in iReunite with Missy? What would the repercussions have been, and would he and Sam have been able to get rid of Missy with a plan of their own? For the iCarly 'What If' Story Challenge.

**Disclaimer** - What do you mean I don't own iCarly? Well, at least I still own the rights to Firefly... wait, I don't? What am I, some sort of poor 16 year old student who lives with her parents?

**A/N - **Not much to say here, apart from that I hope you enjoy chapter 2! Introducing - my take on Missy! And the lovely Miss Carly Shay, of course I hope you guys like it!

* * *

><p>"You spat in his eye?" Missy asked, her mouth hanging wide open as Carly nodded her head embarrassedly.<p>

"Yup. Now my DNA's all over his cornea," Carly admitted, laughing slightly at her mishap as she shrugged one shoulder indifferently.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Carly," Missy comforted her, patting her arm soothingly, "But don't worry, there's plenty of other guys you can ask to the Girl's Choice dance. What about that guy in our English class, Simon something?"

"You mean Simon Greene," Carly asked, as she pulled her bag back over her shoulder, "I don't think so Missy, he and Wendy only broke up a week ago when she left for her cruise, its probably too soon for me to ask him out."

Missy sighed, and tapped her foot impatiently as she thought about prospective dates for Carly, before snapping her fingers and pointing back at the brunette in front of her, "I know, why don't you ask Brad!"

Carly furrowed her eyebrows slightly as she tried to decipher who Missy was talking about, "Brad, you mean that guy who's in the AV club with Freddie?"

"I don't know about his skills with a computer cable, but before Wendy left she mentioned to me that he was single, and he's pretty cute. What do you think, I think he's interested in you, you know."

"You really think so?" Carly asked, her interest growing by the second, "How do you know?"

"I've seen him looking over at us when we've been together, and he's not trying to catch my eyes, that's for sure," Missy pushed her arm gently to encourage her, "Go on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I could spray a whole drink in his face?" Carly joked, before pausing to consider Missy's proposition. After a few seconds, she looked up at Missy and nodded quickly, smiling excitedly, "OK, I'll do it. I think I know where his locker is, I'll just go and see if he's there and ask him right now!"

Missy squealed and hugged Carly tightly, making Carly laugh and squeeze her back before stepping backwards, "He might say no, Missy, don't get too excited!"

"Oh, he'll love you; just try not to spit in his eye this time, kid!" Missy joked, before her smile fell slightly as she caught sight of Carly's newly formed frown, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Carly replied, looked slightly dazed, "It's just that…" she trailed off, thinking about how the use of one word could make her miss her crazy blonde headed friend to such a large extent. Sam had called always been the one who came up with the multitude of nicknames for her, with 'kid' being the one she used most frequently, and hearing someone else call her by that word just made Carly feel strangely uncomfortable.

"Carly," Missy prompted, stepping closer to her as Carly shook her head and came out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine, Missy, I just zoned out for a second," Carly rambled quickly, smiling tightly, "Well, I'd better go hustle me up a date. See you later!"

Carly walked off quickly, only to be pulled back by Missy as she called out, "Carly, wait for just a minute. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, shoot," Carly replied, re-adjusting her jumper as Missy had pulled it sideways across her chest when she had drawn her back.

"Well, I still don't have a date for the dance, and I was wondering if it would be OK if I asked Freddie," Missy proposed, looking up at Carly hopefully, "I mean I know he's totally in love with you-"

"I'm fine with it," Carly replied quickly, trying to hide her shocked expression with a bright smile, "More than fine; actually, I think you two could be really cute together."

"You really think so?" Missy asked, blushing slightly.

"Definitely. I know he says he loves me, but I think if he starts dating more he'll see that I'm not the girl for him. And you guys might really hit it off!" Carly continued, "You have my full blessing, go for it."

"Thanks, Carly," Missy replied, hugging her quickly one again before pushing her back down the hallway, "Now go and get your date before someone else snatches him up!"

Carly nodded and ran down the hall excitedly, fixing her hair and pausing briefly to check her reflection in the mirror before darting through the double doors.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you forgot it, Benson," Sam complained as she walked down the hallway from the cafeteria with an apologetic yet tense looking Freddie by her side, "I mean, you should have just left it at school, what if she's alone in the hallway and I speak to her; how are we going to record what she says?"<p>

"I already said I was sorry Sam, but my mom cleaned up all my stuff yesterday and moved the tape recorder, so I just forgot to pack it," Freddie replied heatedly.

"Can't we just buy some app on your phone to record her," Sam asked desperately.

"For six dollars?" Freddie replied incredulously, "No way, I mean, that's just extortionist. I could make a better programme at home for way less money."

"Then why don't you do that, nub," Sam asked in a frustrated tone, "I mean, it's already been a whole week, how much longer are we going to have to wait to reveal Missy's true colours to Carly?"

"Well it's not my fault she decided to basically glue herself to Carly's side," Freddie retorted angrily, huffing to himself as they sped walked towards their destination.

The pair was still fuming as they reached Sam's locker, but Freddie was stopped in his tracks by Sam who was staring in front of her sadly. Carly and Missy were laughing and talking only a few feet in front of them, before Missy hugged Carly and she ran off down the hall in the opposite direction.

Freddie noticed the despair and sadness growing in Sam's gaze, as she saw her best friend drifting away from her every day, and so attempted to try and comfort her in the same way she had done for him only a few days ago.

"You OK?" he asked quietly, nudging her side gently and smiling understandingly.

Sam blinked and looked over from Missy's lone form back to Freddie before scoffing, "I'm fine, dipthong, I'm just mad that on the one day Missy's been alone you forgot the tape recorder, that's all."

Freddie sighed, as he knew the real reason behind Sam's aggressiveness, and for a rare moment in his life it wasn't because of him, but couldn't do anything about it without her breaking both his arms and legs. Trying to have a meaningful conversation with Samantha Puckett about her feelings was like trying to convince T-Bo you didn't want or need a bunch of bell peppers impaled on a stick; near impossible. Instead of trying to continue his delve into Sam's brain, Freddie decided to continue the heated banter they were still in the middle of in hopes of proving to Sam he was truly trying to expose Missy to the world.

"We had plenty of times where we could have gotten her alone," he began again, though much quieter than before, "after school, at her house, but you said it was too risky."

"She's too smart for that," Sam replied, her voice tinged with a defeated tone, "it has to seem natural. We can't just go up to her and expect her to insult the crab out of me, she'll work it out. No, she has to come to us."

As if by some odd twist of fate, that or the universe was playing some sort of evil hoax on the pair, Sam heard to hideously familiar sound of heels scratching against the floor before feeling a small tap on her shoulder and spun around to see Missy smirking deviously at her, before she turned to Freddie and gave him a warm smile.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys," Missy said cheerfully, causing Sam to raise one eyebrow disbelievingly as Freddie gave his angry blonde headed friend a worried and slightly scared look. He knew that Sam had trouble controlling her anger sometimes, and after seeing Carly and Missy acting like the closest of friends he feared the worst for Missy if she kept up with the fake friendly persona that made Sam despise her so much in the first place.<p>

"Missy," Sam retorted, her tone even colder than when she had spoken to Freddie earlier, while Freddie responded with a friendly, "Hey Missy," trying to maintain his usual natural composure.

As Missy smiled sweetly at them, Freddie turned to look at Sam slightly, who gave him a quick shrug and widened her eyes to show that she was just as confused as he was. Without Carly's presence in the group, the pair had expected Missy to act in the way Sam had experienced her at the Groovy Smoothie, but now that Missy was being strangely pleasant neither knew how to respond.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Missy cleared her throat and squeezed past Sam so she could sidle up to Freddie, smiling up at him as she flicked her hair behind her so that it whipped Sam in the face.

"So Freddie, I was wondering," Missy asked coyly, looking down at the floor at then back up at him from under her eyelashes, "if you don't already have a date for the Girl's Choice dance, I'd really like to go with you."

Surprised, Freddie opened his mouth to reply, only to have it hang open for a few seconds as he frowned and tried to comprehend what had just happened. He managed to catch Sam's eye from behind Missy, and she lifted her arms up in an over dramatic shrug before giving him a pointed look and gesturing him to answer Missy's question.

"Well, Jamie and Ariana have already asked me, but I haven't said yes to either of them yet, so I'll definitely think about it and let you know," Freddie rambled, before smiling awkwardly and patting Missy's arm gently.

"Oh, OK then," Missy replied, obviously disappointed, "Don't worry about it Freddie, take as much time as you need to think it over. Well, I guess I'll see you guys later, bye!"

Missy waved quickly and turned around to walk away, at which point Sam dragged Freddie away and whispered, "Hide behind the corner while I talk to Missy alone."

"Why?" Freddie asked, feeling as though he had suffered through enough confusion for one day.

"So I can prove to you what a manipulative little hob knocker she really is!" Sam replied exasperatedly.

"Sam, I already believe what you said about Missy-" Freddie began, before Sam stuck her hand over his mouth and pushed him behind the corner, miming for him to remain silent as she sped walked back over to Missy, who was leaning against a locker and texting someone.

As Sam approached her, Missy looked up and smirked, before glancing around herself cautiously and saying, "What do you want, freak?"

"So you're after Freddie now, too, huh?" Sam asked, sizing Missy up as they circled each other.

"I didn't think you'd mind seeing as you two are supposed to be sworn enemies," Missy replied, her voice venomous, "but yeah I guess I am. What are you going to do about it, Puckett? After a while I'll be the one in the iCarly trio and you'll finally be out of the picture for good."

Sam rolled her eyes and backed away, her eyes fixed on Missy, "Whatever, Ginger Spice, just stay away from my friends."

Missy smirked, before blowing a kiss in Sam's direction and waving condescendingly "Later Sam!"

Sam walked back around the corner to find a suitably shocked looking Freddie, who immediately went up to Sam upon seeing her approaching form.

* * *

><p>"Wow," he breathed out heavily, "that would've been perfect for the tape recording."<p>

Sam sighed angrily, "Don't make me want to punch you in the face, Benson; I'm already mad enough about your absent-mindedness as it is."

"Right, sorry," Freddie apologised, before looking down at his feet nervously as he prepared himself for his next question. "So, do you think I should go with Missy to the dance?"

Sam looked up at him, shocked and slightly hurt by his suggestion. Had he not just heard all of the insults Missy had thrown Sam's way; all the threats she had promised would become a reality?

"To keep our cover, I mean," Freddie reiterated quickly after spotting Sam's expression, "I just thought it would be easier to monitor her that way."

Sam nodded understandingly, willing herself to slow her breathing as she questioned the churning feeling that was growing in her stomach. After taking a moment to compose herself, Sam turned to Freddie once again, her game face now firmly in place, "You're right, if we can get Missy alone at the dance that would be the perfect opportunity to catch her on tape while she is distracted and Carly is otherwise occupied. As she obviously wants both you and Carly to be her new BFFs, I guess it's going to have to be just me and her alone for the plan to work."

"So, I should go with her, and somehow orchestrate a way to leave you guys alone for a few minutes while we're there?" Freddie asked again, while struggling to decipher the strange feeling that he was experiencing; why was asking Sam a question about accepting Missy's date offer so hard?

Sam paused briefly as her eyes darted from Freddie's to the floor, before tentatively looking back up at Freddie once again. "Yes," she mumbled quietly, confused by her sudden uncertainty about the use of their plan, "you should go with her, to keep up with the façade. The last thing we need is Missy working out what we're trying to do and blowing our cover."

Freddie nodded thoughtfully and agreed to the slightly amended plan, though he still felt slightly strange about the whole arrangement. Sure, he have preferred to go to the dance with a girl he genuinely liked, but even without the Missy debacle he probably would have turned down Jamie and Ariana if it meant he and Sam could have gone unattached together. Whenever neither of them had a date to a dance, they always managed to have more fun together by making jokes about everything that made school dances so hilariously awful; the cheesy music, the theme related finger food, even Gibby's crazy dance moves. In fact, it was for reasons like those that he enjoyed school dances so much in the first place; it was because of Sam.

"Well," Freddie started, as he noticed the awkwardness between him and Sam growing by the second and decided to get early start to his next class where he could consider the many thought provoking notions floating around his head fully and to his heart's content, "I'd better go. I'll definitely bring in the tape recorder tomorrow, OK?"

"Yeah, OK," Sam replied, confusing Freddie further as she refused to look him directly in the eye as she waved him off, "See you later, Benson."

As Freddie spun around and began his long trek to his Algebra class, Sam looked up to watch his figure retreat down the hall and leant against the locked beside her, letting out a sigh she had been holding in for the past few minutes of their conversation. What the fat cake was the matter with her? Was she actually jealous of Freddie's fake date with Missy? He was just being a good friend, helping her out in her time of need, it wasn't like she was going to lose him to Missy just as she had lost Carly to the evil witch's clutches, and even if she did, what did it matter? They hated each other with a passion, she reminded herself, before closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the cold metal and sighing yet again. She knew that this notion wasn't in fact true, but she found that in the past few months it was much easier believing that than trying to explain the far more confusing alternative. Musing over the last time she actually remembered dubbing that she hated Freddie brought Sam to a memory that she really couldn't handle after the morning she had been through. A memory she had promised herself to never think about again only to find herself reliving it more and more as each day passed. _I hate you. _His voice whispered in her mind, as she remembered the feel of the cool wind blowing through her hair and his soft lips pressed against her own. _I hate you too._

Hearing the bell ring above her, Sam opened her eyes and noticed the swarms of students mulling around her as they headed towards their next class. She pushed back from the locker and pulled her bag over her shoulder, before too heading down the corridor on the way to her Woodwork class. She had no idea what was going on, and feared the worst when considering whether they're flawed plan would work, whether Carly still considered her as being her best friend, and whatever was going on in her mixed up head whenever she thought about that night on the fire escape. Whatever was happening seemed to be spiralling out of her control, and certainly wasn't going according to the plan she had been so heavily relying on. Pulling out her second fat cake of the hour, Sam unwrapped the plastic and began to eat her way down the soft pink snack that always managed to cheer her up when things were looking dire. What a day it had been, she thought, before sighing heavily. And she hadn't even made it to third period.

* * *

><p><strong>AN** - *Le gasp* What an interesting turn of events... and what the fat cake going on between Sam and Freddie? Review if you had any favourite parts or lines, if not, onto chapter 3 you may travel!

~ Mim


	3. Chapter 3: Executing the Plan

**Summary** - What if Freddie hadn't won the School at Sea competition in iReunite with Missy? What would the repercussions have been, and would he and Sam have been able to get rid of Missy with a plan of their own? For the iCarly 'What If' Story Challenge.

**Disclaimer** - iCarly, who needs them, right? I own way more exciting things, like... my pet rock, Gary. And a large cut-out of Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. TAKE THAT, SCHNEIDER!

**A/N** - And now, the night you've all been waiting for - The Girl's Choice Dance! Read and enjoy, my pretties, and I'll see you on the other side!

* * *

><p>"So I walk into the apartment and find Spencer trying to do as many squat thrusts in thirty seconds as he could," Carly laughed, "Only to have him collapse after doing three because his legs hurt so much from all the push ups he did half an hour before!"<p>

"Your brother sounds hilarious, Carly," Brad smiled, as the rest of the group laughed in agreement at Spencer's crazy antics. The low lighting encompassed the brightly decorated dance hall with a deep glow, with the loud music resonating off the walls as a number of students milled around the dance floor, talking and laughing loudly. Carly, in a light pink dress that floated down to her knees, sparkled with excitement as she looked nervously up at Brad and back again, tucking her hair behind her ear every once in a while as she tried to pluck up the courage to ask him for a dance. Missy was clutching Freddie's arm tightly, her tight red dress matching her loud lipstick choice and the small red rose in her hair, while Sam was slumped against the table beside them in the flattering dress that had been chosen and forced upon her by Carly weeks before the night of the dance. Though all three girls had gotten ready together that night, they had all felt the tension that had been present since Missy's arrival, and had made the whole process a lot more uncomfortable than Carly had expected, though she had still had time to curl Sam's hair into gently coiffed spirals as opposed to her usual tangled style and apply some simple yet prominent make-up to enhance her natural beauty.

As Brad and Freddie began talking about some new technical equipment the AV club had recently required, as Missy laughed at everything Freddie said, Carly glanced over at her best friend, who looked completely bored out of her brain, and smiled, before quietly excusing herself from the group and walking over to go and sit beside her.

"Hey," Carly murmured, causing Sam to look up, a slightly startled look on her face before she smiled and patted the spot beside her.

"Step into my office, Ms Carlotta Shay," Sam replied, and Carly happily complied as she laughed at Sam's poor attempt at a British accent.

"So, pretty cool, huh?" Carly asked as she looked around the dance hall, "The committee really outdid themselves this year."

"It's alright, I guess," Sam mumbled, playing with the edge of her dress, before grinning at Carly and continuing, "But I'd rather be having a Girly Cow marathon right now with my favourite brunette."

"I didn't know Robert Downey Jr. liked Girly Cow?" Carly joked, an innocent look on her face.

"That man is god-like," Sam sighed dreamily, "But not quite what I meant."

"Oh, I see," Carly smiled teasingly, "Well if you and Freddie wanted some time alone I'm sure we can organise something…"

Sam hit Carly on the arm lightly and rolled her eyes as Carly let out an infectious laugh that made Sam smile.

"I miss you, kid," Sam told her, leaning into her shoulder briefly before pushing away again as Carly looked over at her.

"I know, I haven't been the greatest best friend in the world recently, but Missy's still only been back for a few weeks and I want to make her feel welcome," Carly explained, a hopeful look on her eyes as she directed her gaze at Sam.

"I get it," Sam sighed, smiling back up at her friend, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Sam wasn't going to try and tell Carly otherwise about Missy's true intentions until she had some substantial evidence against her and though she supposed she should be angry at the pretty brunette beside her, how could she be, when all she was doing was seeing the best in a person who had once been her best friend?

"You're not getting rid of me anytime soon, Sam," Carly reminded her, a serious look in her eyes.

"I'm not trying to," Sam promised, before pushing Carly away gently as she spotted a nervous looking boy approaching them, "Now I think I'll leave you to your date, who is looking particularly dashing tonight if I may say so."

Carly laughed, and looked behind her to wave at Brad before turning back around, "You may say so. And yeah, he does, doesn't he?"

Sam gestured for her to return to Brad, and Carly readily complied, taking his outstretched hand before he lead them to the dance floor and they began swaying to the music, their bodies pressed closely together.

Sam smiled at the pair thoughtfully, before rejoining Freddie and Missy, managing, but only barely, to hold back a laugh at the sight of Freddie's bored and slightly afraid expression at Missy, who was chatting away about something that seemed completely redundant.

Wanting to see Freddie crack a smile, Sam fake laughed loudly and quite condescendingly once Missy had finished her story, causing the red-headed girl to turn and give her a withering stare that would have made Regina George proud. Freddie smiled, though managed to hide behind a large yawn once Missy had turned back to him, but nothing could disguise the twinkle in his eye that was all due to Sam.

"So Sam," Missy began sweetly, as she attempted to get Sam back for her less than subtle jab at her own social skills, "it's such a shame that you're the only that didn't manage to get a date tonight. I mean, really, Gibby turning you down was a shock to us all; you guys could have been so cute together."

Sam gritted her teeth angrily, but before she could open her mouth to reply Freddie stepped in with an answer, "Well, actually, Gibby already has a girlfriend, so that's probably why he turned Sam down; it was really through no fault of her own when you think about it."

Sam looked around, surprised by Freddie's sudden jump to defend her, but feeling Missy's eyes boring into the back of her head she decided to take an alternative route to the traditional one of gratitude. "Well thanks for telling me that after I'd humiliated myself by asking Gibby out, Fredweird," Sam sighed, winking at Freddie subtly and mouthing 'Thanks' at him before continuing, "it doesn't matter; like I wanted to go with that little mermaid anyway."

"Gibby's not a mermaid, Sam," Freddie reminded her, a small smirk on his face.

"He never wears a shirt, why am I the only one who sees it?" Sam replied in an exasperated tone, though she was now grinning at Freddie openly.

* * *

><p>Missy looked thoroughly unimpressed with the banter occurring between Sam and Freddie, and decided to start fanning herself with her purse before changing the subject, "Wow am I parched, does anyone else think its really hot in here?"<p>

"I'll go and get you a drink, Missy," Freddie jumped at the chance to leave the girls alone together so that Sam could initiate the plan.

"Thanks, Pookie," Missy replied in a sickly sweet voice, "I'm just going to run to powder my nose, but I'll be right back."

Missy blew a kiss at Freddie before sauntering off in the direction of the restroom, as Sam turned to face Freddie with a grin on her face.

"Pookie?" she asked, as she raised an eyebrow and attempted to hold back her laughter.

Freddie rolled his eyes and pushed Sam in the Missy's direction, "Would you just go and follow her, please?"

"Whatever you say, Pookie," Sam replied, before saluting and running after Missy, chortling to herself.

While she hung about near the entrance of the bathroom in wait of Missy, Sam checked in her purse to make sure that the tape recorder she had packed specifically for this moment was on and fully functioning before returning it to its hiding place and looking up to make sure she didn't miss Missy on her way out.

After a few minutes, she spotted Missy exiting the bathroom and casually got up from her post leaning against the wall to being walking towards her.

Missy stopped in her tracks at the sight of Sam, before continuing to stroll towards her at a slower pace, "Following me, Puckett?"

"I'm just getting some air, Missy, is that a crime?" Sam asked, swinging her arms by her side gently and hoping that technology didn't fail on them; this was the opportunity they had been waiting for all week.

"Nope, I'm just tired of seeing the same piece of white trash floating around when I'm trying to have a fun night out with my boyfriend," Missy replied, crossing her arms and glaring at Sam.

"So you and Freddie are boyfriend and girlfriend now," Sam scoffed, trying her best to brush over the white trash comment "I guess it's getting pretty serious, huh?"

"He hasn't said it in so many words, but I can tell," Missy responded, before placing both her hands on her hips and swaggering even close to Sam, "Pretty soon Carly will forget all about you and be by my best friend, Freddie will be begging me to be his girlfriend and all you'll be able to look forward to at the end of the day is a long walk back to the trailer park and a night with your vermin cat and sleazy mom."

Sam's hands curled into fists, her breathing increasing in speed by the second as she tried to calm herself down."

"Oh no, Sammy Sam, remember what happens if we get violent?" Missy tutted, shaking a finger at her, "All I have to do is run over to Carly and show her my bruises, and then she'll never speak to you ever again. Although, the alternative has pretty much the same outcome, so why don't you just get your friendship with her over with nice and quick, hmm?"

"Don't, Sam," a deep voice echoed through the empty hallway as Freddie stepped out from the shadows. Sam froze, her hands slowly unclenching from their fist shape as he stepped in front of her, cutting off her access to Missy so she couldn't attack her. Facing Sam, Freddie looked at her and spoke to her in a strong and reassuring tone, "She's not worth it, Sam. Just try to calm down." Sam breathed and nodded, signalling she was alright, and Freddie nodded in return before turning around to look at Missy.

"Freddie, what you just heard, it wasn't, I mean…" Missy stumbled over her words, unsure of how to explain herself out of such a hopeless situation.

"I know Missy," Freddie cut her off, "about everything. So just give up the act. It's over."

* * *

><p>Missy looked shocked for a few seconds, before shaking her head quickly and refusing to give up her ground, "No, no its not, I still have Carly, I'll always have Carly, because she was my best friend first. You two can have each other for all I care, the freak and the geek, see how popular your little web show is when you've lost your star."<p>

"You see, that's the difference between you and me, Missy," Sam stepped in front of Freddie, though he remained close behind her, "I don't care about how popular iCarly is, or how many people know who are we because of our so called 'internet fame,' Carly, Freddie and I started the web show because it was fun and random and completely our own. Carly may have been your friend all those years ago, but since then things have changed. She's changed, and you've certainly changed from the sweet little girl she described, but don't for a second think you can make her decision for her or that you know what's best for her. Because you can't and you don't."

Missy looked at Sam, narrowing her eyes slightly as she took in everything she had said in her speech, before turning and sprinting down the corridor back towards the dance hall.

"That was some pretty powerful stuff back there, Sam," Freddie told the drained looking girl in front of him, a look of amazement in his eyes, as Sam rummaged in her purse and grabbed the tape recorder. She rewound it for a few seconds before playing it back and smiling as she heard Missy's insults all over again.

Stopping the tape recorder, Sam looked up at Freddie and smiled, "Come on, we've got everything she said on tape. Let's do this."

* * *

><p>As the pair ran back into the dance hall, they spotted Missy with tears in her eyes as she spoke to Carly, whose eyes were widened in surprise by the things she was saying.<p>

"Oh, she's good," Freddie muttered to Sam.

"Yeah, well we're better," she replied, before the two of them headed over to the corner where Carly and Missy were situated.

Walking up to her best friend, Sam tapped Carly on the shoulder and said, "We need to talk to you, Carly, it's important."

"One second Sam," Carly replied, distracted by the crying girl in front of her, "Missy, are you seriously trying to tell me that Freddie broke up with you because he's in love with Sam, and they're both quitting iCarly to be together?"

Freddie looked at Missy with a surprised expression on his face, wondering how a girl who had played the game so cleverly in the past had managed to come out with such a ridiculous cover story.

"Oh, Missy," Sam shook her head, "when it comes to lies less is always more."

"Listen, Carly, we really need to talk to you," Freddie prompted Carly again, causing the small brunette to spin around and give them both a confused look.

"No, don't go with them," Missy protested quickly, "everything they say is littered with lies!"

"What is going on here?" Carly shouted over the warring voices, before dragging them all into a more secluded corner of the room, "Explain yourselves people, because I am seriously lost. Missy, I've known you since we were kids, and I want to believe you, but nothing you're saying is making any sense."

"Maybe this will put things into context, Carls," Sam interjected, pulling out the tape recorder from her purse as Missy's eyes widened in fear.

"_Pretty soon Carly will forget all about you and be my best friend, Freddie will be begging me to be his girlfriend and all you'll be able to look forward to at the end of the day is a long walk back to the trailer park and a night with your vermin cat and sleazy mom,"_ the group heard Missy's voice playing clearly through the speakers, and Carly's face dropped as she heard the truth behind Missy's façade pouring out of the age old recording device.

Her mouth still agape, Carly turned to Missy, a look of shock and disgust on her face, "Missy, why would you say something like that? All this time I've been telling Sam how kind and welcoming you are, and she's been putting up with all your crab because of it, when it turns out everything she was trying to tell me was true?"

Missy spluttered, trying to explain herself, "But… but I was your best friend first, Carly, and I just wanted us to be the way we used to be, and everyone knows you can't have two best friends."

"I don't have two best friends," Carly replied harshly, before walking over to Sam and pulling her into a hug as she smiled down at her, "I just have one. One awesome, cool, meat loving best friend."

Missy looked at them sadly, before the upset look on her face was replaced with an angry one, "Whatever, I don't need you anymore Carly, without you I can make some new friend's who actually act like their sixteen instead of six. You've gotten super weird since you started hanging out with these two anyway, so you know what, you three can have each other, because I am done." The lack of reaction from her heated speech angered Missy further, and she screamed and stomped her foot angrily before storming out of the hall, her red hair flowing like a blaze of fire behind her before all traces of her presence was gone.

"So you've only got one best friend, huh?" Freddie asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had transcended upon the trio as they basked in their new, Missy-less world, "So what am I exactly, a sheep?

"You're our little technical monkey, remember?" Sam quipped, as Carly's face fell and she began her apologetic frenzy.

"Come on Freddie, you know I didn't mean it like that-"

"I know, Carly, I was just kidding," he replied stepping closer to the pair before Carly pulled him into their warm embrace.

Sam and Freddie's arms automatically looped together to join the trio up in tiny circle, and as they broke apart a few seconds later the pair found themselves looking into each other's eyes and smiling more brightly than either had done all week, before Sam's smile fell and she looked away, willing her face to remain its natural colour instead of turning a bright pink. When had looking at the nub turned into a sure fire of way of making her blush like a school girl with a crush on the hot football stud?

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you Sam," Carly bumped sides with Sam, a torn up look on her face as she realised the pain she must have inflicted on her best friend while she had temporarily abandoned her for a girl who was secretly in cahoots with the dark side.

"It's cool; I probably wouldn't have believed me either," Sam replied honestly, though her tone was tinged with humour.

"But really, I hope you can forgive me," Carly repeated, a serious and hopeful look on her doe eyed face.

"Well, it's going to take some time, Shay," Sam joked, before pretending to deliberate her other requests, "and an extra large Blueberry Blast smoothie from our favourite place of nourishment."

"Shall we?" Freddie asked, gesturing to the door and smirking at Sam's suggestion; while her friend's came first on her list of importance, her stomach most definitely came second.

Carly looked from Freddie to Sam, before linking arms with both and grinning, feeling happier than she had done in a long time now that she was back with the two people she felt closest to in the world, "We shall."

* * *

><p><strong>AN** - Aw, a happy ending, or is it? Is that a fourth chapter I spy over in the corner? Well, you'll have to click the button to find out... Take the time to review, if you'd like to, I love hearing people's thoughts on how I write certain characters, or just the plot in general. Thanks guys, see you on the flip side!

~ Mim


	4. Chapter 4: The Eagle has Landed

**Summary** - What if Freddie hadn't won the School at Sea competition in iReunite with Missy? What would the repercussions have been, and would he and Sam have been able to get rid of Missy with a plan of their own? For the iCarly 'What If' Story Challenge.

**Disclaimer** - *ugly sobbing* I just... want to own iCarly... SO BAD. No, it's cool, I'm good... WHAT DOES A GIRL HAVE TO DO TO GET A CYBER HUG AROUND HERE? :P

**A/N** - So we've reached the final chapter, this was originally going to be a part of the third chapter but then it just ran away without me and so I decided to make it a chapter in its own right. I hope you've liked everything so far, and that you'll enjoy this final part. GO FORTH AND READ, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"I just can't believe I didn't see it," Carly stated disbelievingly, as Freddie chuckled and Sam slurped on her smoothie hungrily, "I mean, she was so good at hiding her evilness, I was completely taken in." The trio had made it to the Groovy Smoothie just before it had closed, and had managed to coax T-Bo into making them three extra large Blueberry Blasts before he began closing up by buying a large stick with tomatoes impaled on it, which Sam had claimed as her own almost immediately before poking Freddie with it every few seconds and challenging everyone around her to a duel.<p>

"Don't worry about it, Carly," Freddie replied, placing his smoothie back down on the table, "I didn't suspect Missy of foul play until Sam came and talked to me, I mean Missy had that whole two-faced thing down to an art."

Turning to Sam, Carly frowned in a confused manner before asking, "You went and talked to Freddie about Missy?" Slowly, Carly joined the dots in her mind and added to her question, "Did you guys actually work together to get rid of her?"

Freddie's eyebrows shot up as he realised he had stuck his foot in his mouth by revealing that Sam had come to speak to him, and planned a massive rambling explanation in his head to tell Carly before Sam sighed and interrupted his thoughts, "Yeah, I asked the nub for help about the whole Missy situation," Sam admitted, causing Freddie to look over at her in surprise, "What can I say, I was desperate. But even I have to admit I couldn't have caught Missy out without his help." Sam looked up from playing with her smoothie cup and stared at Freddie, her lips quirking up in a smile, "Thanks Benson."

"Anytime Puckett," Freddie replied, before replacing his shocked expression with a bright smile directed at Sam.

Carly looked from Sam to Freddie, who were smiling tentatively but openly at each other, the cogs in her mind turning as she began to wonder what else had occurred between the two of them while she had been otherwise distracted by Missy's presence. They had spent basically the entirety of the past two weeks with each other, and not only had they not killed each other but they had managed to work together to bring their close knit group back to its former glory. When had her best friends turned from bickering enemies to such close friends? Carly strangely pleased thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice calling her name from behind her, which also pulled Sam and Freddie out of their staring competition from across the table.

"Hey Brad," Freddie greeted his friend as Carly got up from her seat to give her date a hug.

"Hey guys," Brad replied, nodding in Sam and Freddie's direction before smiling down at Carly, "You ready to go? I can always wait if you want to hang out with your friends some more."

"No, I think we're good," Carly reassured him, before turning back to her table, "I text Brad and told him about the whole Missy disaster, so he agreed to meet me here after the dance so we could have some more time together. You guys don't mind, do you?"

"No, go ahead Carls," Freddie encouraged her, while Sam simply said, "Have fun kid."

Carly grinned and ran around to give them both a quick hug before running back to Brad's side and linking arms with him.

"See you later," they called as they walked towards the exit and left through the double doors.

* * *

><p>"They seem happy," Freddie commented, more to himself that to Sam, who had continued slurping down her smoothie the minute Carly had left. Though Freddie knew Carly would always have a place in his heart, as first love's always did, knowing that she was unavailable and uninterested had lead to down the road to acceptance, and after years of denial he finally felt like he could understand why he and Carly just weren't meant to be with each other. In fact, seeing her looking up at Brad with such joy in her eyes made him feel strangely happy himself, because above all other things he wanted Carly to be happy, and if she was with Brad then who was he to try and intervene?<p>

"Yeah, they do," Sam replied after a few minutes, startling Freddie who had assumed she had simply ignored him, "Brad seems like a nice guy, but if he hurts Carly I will have to break both his legs before killing him."

"I'll bring the duct tape," Freddie joked, "And the shovel."

Sam laughed at Freddie's comment, the musical sound filling the room as Freddie grinned at her, staring at her smile thoughtfully. Hearing the sharp bell of T-Bo closing the till, Freddie looked around to find they were the last people in the Groovy Smoothie, realising quite sadly that it was probably time for them to leave.

"We should probably go, Sam," Freddie told her, causing Sam to look around them and notice what Freddie had just discovered, before nodding and jumping up from the seat.

The few notes of the overhead music ended as the pair began preparing to leave, before a familiar tune began playing through the speakers that caused Freddie to look up and smile.

_Hey there Delilah, what's it like in New York City…_ the words floated around the room, as Freddie glanced over at Sam, who was currently trying to stuff the tomato stick into her seriously undersized purse.

As she turned around, blowing her hair out of her face, she saw Freddie point up to the speakers before saying, "Plain White T's. Pretty cool, huh?"

"That band does have some good memories," Sam laughed, leaning against the table, "I still can't believe they performed on iCarly."

Freddie smiled back at her, before taking a deep breath as he considered what he was about to do. While Sam straightened out her dress, he smoothed down his jacket nervously before mentally screaming at himself to just do it, and when Sam next looked up she was greeted with the sight of Freddie holding out his hand to her, a nervous yet confident smile on his face.

Sam gave Freddie a surprised look, before walking a few steps towards him, "You have got to be kidding me, Benson."

"Come on Sam," Freddie smirked, his hand still extended toward her, "Neither of us got to have a real dance tonight. What do you say?"

Sighing overdramatically, Sam grabbed Freddie's hand and placed the other on his shoulder, before they began swaying slowly to the music, "Just this once, and only because I'm returning a favour." Sam turned serious for a moment, though Freddie could spot a barely disguised twinkle in her eye, "And just so you know, you'd better keep your hands to yourself, or I will break them in half."

Freddie laughed, "I would expect nothing less from you, Sam."

As they gently moved from side to side, their bodies close together but not touching and eyes unsure of where to look, Freddie considered something that Sam had just said.

"What favour are you returning?" he asked, though he had a faint inkling of an idea to what she was referring to.

"You helping me reveal Missy's true colours to Carly," Sam replied honestly, "You believed in me when no-one else did, which was both slightly stupid and incredibly brave. I just want you to know that I really appreciated it, Freddie."

"And don't worry about it, Sam. I like to think you'd do the same for me."

"If you bribed me with Bolivian bacon I'd do pretty much anything you said, Fredimamma," Sam admitted jokingly, causing the pair to laugh.

* * *

><p>"I'll just be a second, Brad," Carly called out before she entered the Groovy Smoothie, "I'm so sorry, I can't believe I just left me purse there!" Walking through the doors, Carly looked up to catch her two best friends in each other's arms as they swayed slowly to the music. She froze, before smiling knowingly as her previous assumptions turned out to be more accurate than she had previously thought, before turning around and creeping out of the door. "It wasn't there, Brad. It's fine, let's just go home."<p>

_Oh, it's what you do to me, _Freddie tuned back in to hear the lyrics of one of his favourite songs as he gazed into Sam's cerulean eyes, feeling something growing inside of him that had ignited that night on the fire escape, something he had initially ignored and put down to hormones. Now, however, as his eyes travelled from Sam's hypnotic eyes to her perfectly curled hair, though he preferred her usual tangled mess and the many other seemingly insignificant details that never failed to amaze him, he wasn't so sure.

"If you don't mind me asking," Sam murmured quietly, using a tone of voice that was rarely utilized, "Why were you so sure I was telling you the truth? I mean, I've told you some pretty horrific lies in the past; why did you believe me?"

"I knew you wouldn't lie about something that serious," Freddie responded, maintaining eye contact with Sam despite the confusing feeling inside of him threatening to make him do something that he would surely pay for later, "Even though you torment me daily, Carly's happiness always comes first, and you wouldn't have asked for my help unless something was seriously threatening that."

Sam nodded, looking down at the floor and breaking their connection as she took in what Freddie had just said, slightly surprised yet oddly pleased at how well he knew her.

"Plus," Freddie continued, the small smirk on his face growing significantly, "You have a tell." "A what?" Sam asked, confused.

"A tell, you know, a little quirk that lets me know when you're lying, so I knew you were serious about the whole Missy thing." Freddie explained, causing Sam to look at him with widened eyes as she contemplated a serious flaw in her future plans to lie her way through any trouble she may get it into.

"Well," she began curiously, waiting expectantly before completing her question, "What is it?"

Freddie smiled and looked down, before his eyes darted up at her again and he licked his lips apprehensively. Removing the hand that had been placed tentatively on Sam's waist, he raised it and let it hover over a spot just below Sam's mouth, "You have this chin dimple, right here, that quavers whenever you lie; it took me years to find a way to tell if you were lying to me or not, but after the disaster that was clown day I decided to study you for a while before working out your one flaw."

Sam gave Freddie an impressed look, amazed that he had managed to find something that no-one else have ever noticed about her, "Well now I know I should practise getting rid of it, or I'll never be able to play poker again," she told Freddie jokingly, causing him to nod seriously before beginning a series of questions to help her practise lying without the famed chin quiver.

"OK, what is your full name?" Freddie asked.

"Regina Phalange," Sam replied immediately and without an ounce of uncertainty, though Freddie still managed to spot a slight quiver below her bottom lip.

"Not quite, Puckett, let's try another. What's your favourite food," Freddie questioned, a smirk growing on her face as he saw Sam's eyes narrow in concentration.

"A nice healthy salad," she replied confidentially, her chin jutting out in an attempt to stop the quiver, but despite her efforts it was still very much visible.

Seeing Sam look so focused, her nose crinkling up at the sides and eyebrows furrowing, made Freddie's next question slip out of his mouth before he could properly think of the consequences. "If I wanted to kiss you right now, would you let me?"

Shocked, Sam's mouth hung agape for a few seconds, before she responded in the only way her brain would allow; with humour. "Not for 9 billion dollars, Benson," she smiled, hoping to pass over the question without much worry as Freddie was obviously messing with her, and lingering on the answer would only encourage her brain to say no, but her lips to yes. Freddie studied her face thoughtfully, before his eyes glanced down at her chin and he saw the one thing he would never have expected; Sam's chin dimple quivering, undeniably and wholeheartedly.

* * *

><p>Sam felt it straight away, and closed her eyes slowly, praying for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Crab sticks on a fat cake. He knew. Freddie knew something that she herself barely understood and it would surely crush their carefully balanced friendship and tear apart the iCarly trio for good.<p>

Freddie gazed down at Sam's quickly withdrawing form, her eyes shut and lips slightly parted, and taking what could have been a simple lip quiver as a sign for so much more he leant in and kissed her, pressing his lips against her own. The kiss caught Sam off guard, but instead of questioning exactly what was happening she returned it, leaning in to deepen their connection and placing her other hand on Freddie's shoulder as he held tightly onto her waist. The embrace was only brief, lasting no longer than their previous kiss had done almost a year ago, on the fire escape, and when they pulled apart both kept their eyes shut for a few seconds more to take in what had just happened.

Freddie's eyes flew open first, and he began stuttering and apology almost immediately, as Sam's eyes fluttered open much more slowly and thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry, I mean, what I meant to say was, the thing is," Freddie stumbled over his words, wondering why Sam was still only a few centimetres away and he wasn't on the floor screaming in pain.

Pulling her arms away from over Freddie's shoulders, Sam held up one hand to signal that he should stop rambling before saying. "Its fine, Benson. Just, don't let it happen again." She didn't think her heart or mind could take a third kiss from her favourite nub before she self combusted from all the confusion she was locking up inside.

Noticing the dazed look on Sam's face as opposed to the angry one, Freddie began feeling more confident by the second, and decided to let Sam know how he really felt about the girl who had managed to take his breath away in more ways than one.

"No promises, Puckett" he joked, a smirk on his face and a spark in his eyes as he grabbed a hold of one of Sam's hands and looked down at it shyly. Sam rolled her eyes, but glanced down at their intertwined hands and smiled, before squeezing it gently and looking back up at Freddie. He grinned and began leading her out of the Groovy Smoothie, looking back every few seconds as if to make sure she was still there.

As they exited through the double doors hand in hand, T-Bo came out from the supply cupboard where he had been hiding for the past few minutes and smiled gleefully at the sight of the pair, before shaking his head and turning off the lights, the signal that he done playing cupid by leaving the Groovy Smoothie open for an extra twenty minutes and was finally closing up shop. What Sam and Freddie had initially thought would be a brief alliance that would end the second they got rid of Missy had turned out to be something much more, something they had both been feeling since their very first kiss but were far to afraid to admit. They thought that the evening spent together at the dance would be the end to what had been an eye opening experience for the both of them, but how wrong they had been. Things were only just getting started. And they couldn't wait to see what happened next.

* * *

><p><strong>AN** - So there you go, one 'What If,' story, hot off the press, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! If you have a chance, the poll on **TheWrtrInMe **'s profile will be open until Sunday (I think!) so if you liked my story I'd love you forever if you headed over there and voted for me. If not, at least go there to check out the other fics some really talented iCarly writers have written, because they're all bound to be amazing! A huge thank you to TheWrtrInMe for letting me know about this competition, and to all of you for reading and (hopefully!) liking what you've seen. Future fics are being planned, but my next few will probably be one-shots because I've got some important exams coming up in a few months that demand my attention. Thank you so much for reading, stay amazing, and I'll see you soon!

~ Mim


End file.
